INSECTS INJURIOUS TO SUGAR CANE. 
9 
abundant along the Lower Mississippi, the crop upon one plantation 
being utterly destroyed, as the canes broke to pieces upon cutting. He 
also informs me that one of the earlier writers upon the West Indies has 
recorded the observation that they were abundant only upon plantations 
near the sea-coast, and says that he has noticed the same thing in our 
country. 
The borer was first received at the department, in 1878, from Mr. W. 
W. Pugh, of Assumption, who evidently considered it a rarity, and in 
October, 1880, a second specimen was received from the same gentleman.* 
In February, 1881, a single worm taken from seed cane was forwarded 
by Dr. Wilkiuson, with the statement that it had considerably damaged 
his crop in the previous year. From the observations of Mr. Howard 
during his trip in March, and from information gathered from other 
sources, we may state the following concerning the habits and life history 
of the borer. 
HABITS AND LIFE HISTORY. 
In early spring the parent moth lays her eggs upon the leaves of the 
'young cane, near the axils, and the young borer hatching iu the course 
of a lew days, penetrates the stalk at or near the joint, and commences 
to tunnel upwards (invariably!) through the soft pith. The eggs, which, 
however, we have only seen upon coin, are flat and circular, l" ,m (oue- 
twenty-fifth inch) in diameter, and are white when first deposited, turn- 
ing yellow as they approach the hatching point. The growth of the 
“borer- worm” must be very rapid. Specimens in corn stalks reared 
at the department, and which labored under the disadvantage of dry 
food and cool temperature, nevertheless reached their full growth in 30 
days; and in midsummer iu the South these larvae will doubtless de- 
velop much more rapidly. The borers are quite active, and occasion- 
ally leave their burrows and crawl about upon the outside of the stalk, 
seeking another place to enter. This accounts for the numerous holes, 
differing widely in size, to be seen upon the outside of a badly-infested stalk . 
The full-grown borer is about an inch long, rather slender, nearly cylin- 
drical, and cream white in color, with a yellow head and black mouth 
parts. Upon attaining its full size it bores to the outside of the cane 
and makes a large round hold for its future exit — a hole which is usually 
at least 5 ,um (one-fifth of an inch) in diameter. It theu retires into 
its burrow and transforms a short distance from the opening into a 
slender brown pupa, three-quarters of an inch long. The pupa state 
lasts but a few days, and then the moth makes its exit. The moth has 
a spread of wings of about an inch and a quarter, and is of a light grayish 
brown color. With the female moth the liiud wings are of nearly the 
* During the summer of 1880 specimens of what is probably the genuine cane borer 
was received from South Carolina as injuring coni, and from pieces of the stalk 
sent it was seen to affect the corn in precisely the same manner as caue. It was also 
received from Georgia, with a similar account of damage to corn. A full accouut will 
be found in the department report for 1880. 
